Planning a Season

The following article was adapted from "Scholastic & Academy Tennis: Planning the Season."

A periodization principle for tennis work which most good tennis coaches have innately followed for years is the Theory of Specificity, which states that as we get closer to our tournaments (or time of desired peak performance), our practices should more closely resemble a tennis match (i.e. short in duration, high in intensity).

All over the world, you'll see coaches and academies using hoppers early in the season, then using sets and tie-breaks as training tools as the competitive season nears.

This common-sense approach to training, however, is far too limited considering the knowledge we now have at our disposal, and it may also degrade players' skills.

Planning Your Program's On-Court Calendar

When planning a season, whether it's for a summer program, a high school or collegiate season, preparation for a particular surface (clay court season), getting ready for a Grand Slam, or simply trying to optimize the time a recently-injured player has available to prepare for an upcoming tournament, the season should actually be divided into four mini-seasons:

1) Preparation season (emphasis on physiology/biomechanics)
2) Pre-Competitive season (emphasis on strategy/tactics)
3) Competitive season (emphasis on match play and psychology)
4) Active rest season (emphasis on cross training, recovery and biomechanics)

Start Working Backwards

Determine Your Player's Playing Weakness Next

Determine Necessary Technique Changes Last

Make Technical Changes in Order to Solve Tactical Problems

The article gives an overview of how to break a season into the three phases necessary for helping a player learn, retain and recall skills, as well as when to use dead-ball, live-ball, cooperative and competitive drills.